


I Play the Heroine

by Raven_Pen



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Miraculous Ladybug Fusion, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Pen/pseuds/Raven_Pen
Summary: The two most powerful Miraculouses in existence fall into the hands of probably the two least qualified people to wield them: Veronica Sawyer, apathetic mess of sleep deprivation and caffeine addiction, with the power of Creation, and Heather Chandler, demon queen of Westerburg High and all-around megabitch, with the power of Destruction.When people even less deserving of superpowers suddenly start developing them, the unwanted responsibility of stopping them is placed on Veronica and Heather. It's up to them to figure out who the fuck is sending out all these goddamn akumas for the sake of their town, their lives, and their sanity.God help us all.





	I Play the Heroine

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone ask for this? No. No, they did not, but I did it anyway.
> 
> I've had this idea for a while, and I've finally managed to turn it into a story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this work.

Monday morning.

Veronica hated Mondays. She opened her eyes, only to be hit by the blinding rays of the sun. She screwed her eyes shut and felt around for her blanket, but her hands only found hard wood. She frowned. That was odd. Had she fallen off the bed? Come to think of it, her sleeping position felt…unnatural. She pushed herself up, immediately regretting the decision when she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She groaned and once again attempted to open her eyes.

Veronica looked around in bewilderment. She was sitting at her desk in her room, still in the clothes she had worn the previous day. Her diary, which she realized she had been using as a pillow, lay beneath her, a half-finished entry scrawled out on the open page. She was still holding the pen. Her other hand was wrapped around the handle of one of three empty coffee mugs laying on the desk.

Veronica let out a tired sigh. She looked over to the clock on her nightstand. It was blocked by two more coffee mugs. She stood up, hissing in pain and placing a hand over the back of her neck. As she neared her bed, she noticed a familiar pair of green eyes gazing at her from the pillow. “Hey, JFK,” she said, rubbing the cat behind his ears.

He purred in response, pressing his face against Veronica’s hand as she lifted it away to push the coffee mugs out of the way. She checked the clock. A quarter after seven. Still fairly early. She gave a quick glance to the calendar. It was turned to August, but all the days were crossed out, which meant…The first day of school.

“Fuck!” Veronica groaned.

She dragged herself over to the bathroom and climbed into the shower. She turned the knob and sighed as the warm water cascaded down her body. After several minutes, she shut off the water and hopped out.

As she dried herself off, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. God, she looked terrible. She had a nightmare face. Dark circles under her eyes, hair messier than usual. She gazed at her different-colored eyes, one blue and one brown. She ran a hand through her hair, moving her bangs so that they fell over her blue eye. She winced when it snagged on a knot. She gave one last sullen look at herself and walked out.

She grabbed a random outfit and pulled it on, throwing her old denim jacket over it. She grabbed her scarf and wrapped it around herself. She took a moment to bury her face in the soft wool, before tossing her dirty clothes into the overflowing laundry basket and heading downstairs. She would take care of that eventually, maybe.

Her parents greeted her when she walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Veronica.”

“Morning, Mom, Dad,” Veronica replied, plopping down between them at the table.

She looked down at her plate. French toast. A classic.

Her father spoke up as she began cutting into her food. “So, Veronica, are you ready for the first day of school?”

Veronica shrugged. “I guess.”

Veronica ate a few more bites of toast, before hopping back up. “Great breakfast, Mom, but I’d better get going if I want to get to school on time.”

With that, Veronica got up, packed her bag, shoved another piece of toast in her mouth, and headed out the door.

◊ ◊ ◊

Heather despised mornings. She despised waking up to yet another shitty day.

Once again, the annoying buzzing of her alarm clock filled her ears. She slammed her fist down on it, shutting it off. She rolled over, pulling the covers over her head in an attempt to fall asleep once more. After a few unsuccessful minutes, she threw off the blankets and got out of bed.

She trudged over to the bathroom, running her hands through her hair to get rid of some of the tangles that had formed overnight. One hot shower later, she selected an outfit for the day, something red, of course, and sat in front of her vanity to do her makeup. She surveyed her many choices of lipstick, before finally settling on a vibrant shade of red. As a final touch, she pulled her hair into a half ponytail, tying it back with her signature, red scrunchie.

Heather walked down the stairs, the floorboards creaking as she moved. The sound echoed through the large, empty house. She breathed a heavy sigh and made her way into the kitchen.

She as she poured herself a bowl of cereal, the phone rang. She answered it.

“_Hello? Heather?_” Heather Duke’s voice was on the other end.

“Yeah?” Heather responded, balancing the phone between her face and shoulder so she could continue to eat her breakfast.

“_I was wondering which one of us was going to drive Heather today?_”

Heather swallowed. “Why?”

“_It’s…the first day of school, Heather, remember?_”

_ Shit, that was today? _

“Of course I remember!” Heather lied. “_Fucking pillowcase…_”

“_What?_”

Heather placed her bowl in the sink. “You drive her. I’m busy.”

“_Oh, okay,_” Duke knew better than to question Heather. “_See you at school, I guess?_”

“Sure.” Heather hung up.

She sighed and looked down at her outfit, before heading back to her room to put on something more “presentable.”

◊ ◊ ◊

Veronica sighed as she stared up at the old school building. Westerburg High, also known as Hell. Friendly and welcoming on the outside, absolute hellscape on the inside, from what she remembered. She wheeled her bike over to the bike rack and chained it up. She slung her black messenger bag over her shoulder, adjusted her scarf, and headed into the building.

To her relief, she had managed to arrive fairly early, avoiding the large crowd that usually arrived with the buses. The halls were mostly empty, thank god, which meant she did not have to worry about getting trampled by a stampede of students.

As she rounded the corner, she began to feel like someone was following her. Just as she turned her head back to see who it was, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Veronica yelped and twisted herself free. Her eyes lit up upon seeing who it was.

Dirty blonde hair, pulled back into a high ponytail, and glasses. Her face immediately broke out into a grin. Betty Finn, probably the only thing worth coming back to Westerburg for.

“Betty!” Veronica cried, wrapping her arms around her friend.

Betty laughed and hugged back. “It’s so great to see you again!”

They pulled apart and began walking down the hall together.

“So how have you been lately?” Betty inquired.

Veronica shrugged. “I’ve been okay, I guess. Better than I was-”

“_Watch it, nerd!_”

Suddenly, someone rammed their shoulder into Veronica, knocking her to the ground. Her bag fell beside her, its contents spilling across the floor. She groaned and rubbed her shoulder, looking to see who had ran her over. She immediately spotted the red letterman jacket he was wearing. Football team. That figures.

“_Asshole,_” she murmured, glaring after him.

He stopped and turned back to face her. “What the fuck did you just say to me, bitch?” he growled.

Crap, it was Ram Sweeney.

Veronica’s cold stare was quickly replaced with a mask of indifference. She climbed to her feet and brushed herself off. As she stooped to pick up her fallen bag, Ram grabbed her scarf, yanking her back up.

“Answer the damn question!”

Veronica choked and clawed at the thick wool as it tightened around her neck. “_Let go of me!_” she wheezed.

“H-hey!” Betty cried.

With his other hand, Ram shoved Betty to the floor. “_Betty!_”

Veronica glared at Ram. “You fucking asshole!” she shouted, kicking at him.

Ram only laughed.

Suddenly, the front doors swung open. Everyone seemed to freeze. Veronica’s scarf slipped from Ram’s grasp and she plummeted to the floor. She quickly tugged on her scarf, loosening the part around her neck so she could breathe.

She looked over to see who her possible savior could be. She was met with disappointment. “Oh hell no,” she murmured.

It was the fucking Heathers.

◊ ◊ ◊

Heather’s car screeched into the school’s parking lot. She pulled into a space, not caring if she was between the lines on the ground or not.

She hopped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She adjusted her blazer, grabbed her bag, and headed across the parking lot to a green Jeep parked on the other side. Two girls were getting out, one dressed in green, the other dressed in yellow.

The yellow one, Heather McNamara, saw her and waved. “Hey, Heather!” she called.

“Heather,” Heather greeted her. She turned toward the girl in green. “Heather.”

Heather Duke glanced at her. “Hey,” she replied.

They headed inside. Heads turned and people parted as they walked through the halls. “_It’s Heather, it’s Heather, it’s Heather,_” whispers flew all around them.

Suddenly, McNamara let out a squeal. Heather whirled around. Her concern instantly faded as soon as she saw what had happened. Ram had snuck up behind McNamara and grabbed her from behind. “Hey babe!” he said.

McNamara giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek. Heather groaned, “God, come on, Heather!”

McNamara gave Ram one last smile before scampering off to join the other two Heathers.

“I thought you broke up with him at that party last week after you caught him with that cheerleader from Jefferson,” Duke said.

“That was Kurt,” McNamara replied.

Heather discreetly rolled her eyes.

_ Same difference. _

“Whatever,” she huffed. “Let’s go.”

Heather straightened up, once again basking in the attention of the crowd around her. She took in a deep breath.

_ Damn, it was good to be back. _

◊ ◊ ◊

It was _ not _ good to be back.

Heather tapped her foot, impatiently, shooting glances at the clock. Almost noon. She suppressed a sigh. It was the first day of school, and she was sick of it already. She was sick of it before it had even started. The teacher had gone through the usual, boring-ass, first day orientation stuff, and was now giving a pop quiz on the summer reading.

Heather looked back down at her quiz paper. God, what was it with these questions? Had the teacher even read the damn book? She continued filling out answers until the sound of a bell filled her ears.

_ Fucking finally. _

She handed in her quiz and practically ran out the door. A sea of students filled the hall, not that it was a problem for her. They stepped aside, forming a clear path as she walked by. She found Heather Duke and Heather McNamara on her way to the cafeteria.

“God, can today get any less boring?” McNamara complained.

Heather snorted, “Speak for yourself, Heather, I had a fucking quiz last period.”

McNamara looked over at Duke. “What about you, Heather?”

Duke’s nose was currently buried in her book.

“Heather?”

Duke looked up. “Yeah?”

Suddenly, a girl with a blue scarf collided with Duke. Her copy of _ Moby Dick _ fell to the ground and slid across the floor. “Hey!” Duke called out, but the girl had already merged with the crowd of students.

Heather rolled her eyes. “_Such a pillowcase,_” she muttered.

McNamara reached down and picked up Duke’s book, discreetly handing it back to her. Duke muttered out a quiet thanks as they continued their way down the crowded hall.

When the finally reached their destination, they wasted little time getting their food and moving over to “their” table at the center of the room. Unfortunately for them, someone else had already claimed it.

_ Fucking Courtney and her stupid fucking Country Club Bitch Posse. _

Heather plastered on her most saccharine smile and walked over to them.

“Great,” one of them whispered, “here comes Heather.”

“Oh, shit,” another said, apathetically.

“I knew it was a bad idea to take their table!”

The first one waved them off. “Relax, what’s the worst they could do?”

Heather Chandler stopped by the table, standing over her. “Hi, Courtney, love your cardigan,” Heather greeted.

Courtney beamed up at her. “Thanks! I just got-”

She was cut off by Heather “accidentally” bumping the table just enough to spill her drink all over her clothes. Courtney gawked at the dark stain spreading through the white fabric of her cardigan. “Piss off, princess,” Heather said.

Courtney heard a snort of laughter come from beside her. She glared at the source. “It’s not funny, Chris!” she snapped.

“It kind of was,” Chris replied, still giggling.

Courtney got up and stormed off, her face burning with both embarrassment and fury. The Heathers cackled as she walked away. “Now then,” Heather said, looking back at the remaining Country Club kids, “would you be so kind as to give us back _ our _ table?”

The rest of them took the hint and got up, a few of them shooting nasty looks as they did so. Heather paid no mind and sat down on the other side of the table, as far away from the spill on the table as possible. Duke took a few napkins and dabbed at the wet spot, before sitting down next to McNamara.

“God, the _ nerve _ of some people!” Heather exclaimed.

“Ugh, I know, right?” McNamara agreed.

Duke only nodded, once again engrossed in her novel_ . _ Heather rolled her eyes and went back to picking at her own food. Suddenly, a realization dawned on her. “Shit!” she said.

McNamara looked up. “What?”

Heather got back up. “I need to talk to Dennis about the Lunchtime Poll.”

“It’s the first day of school, Heather, I don’t think it really matters right now.”

Heather waved her off. “No, no,” she huffed. “I’ll be right back.”

She then headed out the door, swinging it shut behind her.

◊ ◊ ◊

Courtney strode into the bathroom, throwing the door open with enough force to startle the two freshmen girls inside. They bolted as soon as they saw the look on her face.

She moved over to the sink and began scrubbing at her cardigan. “_ It was brand new, god damnit! _” she thought, bitterly, muttering curses under her breath.

She was so focused on cleaning herself up, she did not notice a black butterfly slip through the vent. She did not even feel it land on the crystal hairclip on the back of her head.

Courtney suddenly froze. A purple outline of light, resembling a butterfly appeared around her eyes. A voice emanated from inside her head.

“**_Oh yes, you’ll do nicely._**”

Courtney tried to scream, but found herself unable to move. Her body was completely paralyzed. All she could do was stare into the mirror and watch as her body was enveloped in a cocoon of dark energy.

It hurt so much at first, but then _ it _ told her that it did not have to, that if she stopped fighting, the pain would stop. She had no idea what _ it _ was, but for some reason, she trusted it, and so Courtney let go. She let it burn itself into her skin and shape her into something new.

When the darkness finally cleared, she could hardly recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror, but she was definitely _ not _ complaining. Her stained cardigan had been replaced by a magnificent white gown with a matching, white mask on her face. Several crystalline spikes protruded from her shoulders, with more woven through her skirt. Her arms looked as though they were actually made of crystal. Finally, her crystal hairclip had changed into a large crown that sat atop her head.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her trance.

“Courtney?” It was Chris. “You know I didn’t mean it, right?”

Her face split into a wicked grin, her reflection smiled back. She glided over to the door and threw it open. “_Hi, Chris,_” she said.

Chris stepped back, her eyes widening in fear. “_Courtney?_” she gasped.

“Courtney’s not here right now, I’m afraid,” the newborn villainess said, stepping closer. She pouted. “That wasn’t very nice of you, Chris, laughing at me like that.”

Chris’s back was up against the lockers, too much in shock to speak or do anything else.

She pressed a crystal-cold finger to Chris’s lips. “But you don’t have to worry about that anymore, Chris,” she continued. “In fact, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

“Wha- What-”

She stepped back and held out her hand. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I need to have a little talk with Heather,” she said. “Bye, Chris!”

A beam of white light shot from the palm of her hand. Chris held her arms in front of her face as the beam struck her. White crystals formed on her skin, moving up her arms until they encased her entire body.

The villainess admired the crystal statue that now stood before her, before turning down the hall. The voice echoed in her mind once again. “**_Go forth and conquer, my Crystal Queen._**”

◊ ◊ ◊

Veronica and Betty watched the girl storm out of the cafeteria. “Damn, I wonder what she did to piss Heather Number One off on the first day,” Veronica said.

“Beats me,” Betty replied. “Heather Chandler would mess up someone’s day regardless if they did anything to her or not.”

Veronica nodded in agreement. She pushed herself up. “I’m heading out for a smoke,” she said.

Betty sighed, “Veronica…”

Veronica let out a groan, “Betty, I’m not going to get lung cancer.”

She turned and headed out the door. She looked around the hall to make sure the coast was clear before she headed outside.

Veronica walked briskly to a secluded area behind the school. She ducked behind some bushes and leaned back against the wall, panting. She thought back to her earlier brush with death. Of all the people to accidentally bump into, it had to be one of the Heathers!

_ Fuck my luck! _

She groaned, running a hand through her bangs, before letting it fall to her side.

She looked around. The area had not changed much since the last time she had been there. Most of the grass was gone, having been worn away by the many people who came through the area. Just about the only plants left were the large bushes she was currently hiding behind, although they were not looking so good either. The ground was littered with discarded joints and cigarette butts from previous visitors. Some of them were probably hers.

Veronica reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette she had swiped from her dad a few days ago. He needed to quit his smoking habit, she told herself, and frankly, so did she. She placed the cigarette between her lips and took out her lighter. She rubbed her thumb over the faded outline of a four-leaf clover printed on the side. Just as she was about to ignite the small flame, the lighter slipped from her hand and bounced away into the bushes.

Veronica cursed and knelt down, removing her cigarette from her lips. Her eyes scanned the area beneath the bushes, until they finally landed on something shiny. She shimmied in, ducking her head to avoid pricking herself on the dead branches. As she reached for the lighter, she spotted something else out of the corner of her eye.

A small, ornate box sat hidden deep within the bushes. Her need for a smoke forgotten, she reached over and picked it up. She inspected it as she pocketed her lighter and worked her way out from underneath the bushes. The box was hexagonal and about the size of her hand. She ran her fingers over the intricate pattern on the lid, wiping off a layer of dust as she did so. Just as Veronica was about to open it, she was thrown to the ground by a tremendous _ boom! _

The box flew from her hands and fell open as it hit the ground. A bright, pink light emanated from the box and filled Veronica’s vision. She shielded her as she scooted away. The brightness faded away, revealing a small, red creature. Veronica stared at it in wonder as it hovered over the open box. It twitched, slowly blinking its eyes, before they suddenly shot wide open. “Nooroo!” it cried, looking around, frantically, until its gaze landed on Veronica.

It hesitantly floated over to her. Veronica backed away. “No! Wait!” it called.

“What- What are you?” Veronica stammered.

The creature opened its mouth to respond, but was cut off by another resounding _ boom _ as a section of the wall burst apart. The creature immediately dove into Veronica’s scarf. Veronica covered her head as bits of debris rained down on her. The dust cleared, revealing a large crystal jutting out from the side of the building.

“What the fuck?” Veronica exclaimed.

The creature emerged from her scarf and hovered next to her face. “Listen to me, I will explain everything, but first we need to get somewhere safe.”

Veronica slowly nodded, still processing what had just happened. “Yeah…yeah,” she murmured, pushing herself up.

“Take the earrings!” the creature said. “In the box!”

Veronica grabbed the box off the ground and ran away, trying to put as much distance between her and that god-forsaken school.

_Dear Diary, what has my life come to?_

◊ ◊ ◊

Crystal Queen moved quickly down the hall, a trail of crystals forming in her wake. The other students fled at the sight of her. She transformed a few of the slower ones into crystal statues. She would transform Heather Chandler into the most beautiful statue, she mused, a cruel smile forming on her face, and then she would _ shatter _ it.

She burst into the cafeteria. Heads turned and people let out shouts of alarm as she stepped in. Several students attempted to run for the door, but she fired another beam of energy, causing crystals to grow over the door, sealing them in. She fired more rays of light at students, encasing them in crystal.

She hopped up on a table and addressed the crowd of terrified students, “Unless you want to become a statue, I suggest you tell me where Heather is!”

No one moved.

Her lip curled upward into a sneer. “Alright then.”

She unleashed a wave of energy. The lights shattered overhead, broken glass raining down on the students as they, too, were encased in crystal.

Crystal Queen surveyed the wreckage. Crystals were spreading from the statues and climbing up the walls. As she walked through the cafeteria, she heard a light shuffle come from beneath one of the tables nearby. She sent it flying with another energy beam.

Two girls, dressed in green and yellow, sat on the ground where the table had been. “Ah, Heather and Heather,” Crystal Queen said.

Heather McNamara attempted to escape, but Crystal Queen quickly froze her in place. Heather Duke, on the other hand, was completely petrified by fear. Crystal Queen pulled her to her feet. “Where is Heather Chandler?” she said.

Duke struggled to speak.

Crystal Queen grabbed her throat. A sharp, crystalline blade extended from the back of her other hand, which she pressed against Duke’s cheek. “Tell me!”

“She- She’s in the yearbook room!” Duke gasped.

Crystal Queen released her throat and grabbed her wrists. Crystals formed over Duke’s hands, freezing them together in makeshift handcuffs. Crystal Queen began dragging her toward the door. Duke stumbled after her. “I told you where she was!” she cried. “Let me go!”

Crystal Queen jerked her forward, pressing the tip of her crystal blade against the back of Duke’s neck. “I need to make sure you’re not lying first,” she hissed. “Now, move!”

She shoved Duke forward, heading toward the yearbook room. She grinned to herself.

_ Ready or not, Heather, here I come! _

◊ ◊ ◊

Veronica ran through the town, panting. She ducked into an alleyway and collapsed against the wall. God, she was out of shape!

As she tried to catch her breath, the little, red creature poked its head out of the folds of her scarf. “I think we’re safe,” the creature said, looking up at Veronica. “Are you alright?”

“No!” Veronica wheezed. “What the actual _ fuck _ is happening? Who- or _ what _ even are you?”

“My name is Tikki, and I’m a Kwami,” the creature explained. “What you just witnessed was an Akuma.”

“I literally have no idea what you just said.”

“Kwamis have the ability to grant superpowers to certain people by inhabiting some form of jewelry specifically made for that purpose. For example, I grant the power of creation, and Nooroo,” a look of sadness came across its face, “Nooroo is supposed to be able to turn other people into superheroes, but it looks like someone’s using him to create supervillains instead.”

Veronica pinched herself, wincing in pain.

_ Nope. _

She cracked open the lid of the wooden box. A pair of red stud earrings, with black spots, sat inside. “So…that’s what these earrings are for.”

Tikki nodded. “Yes, now you must put them on. We have to-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Veronica stopped her. “I am definitely _ not _ going to do that.”

Tikki was taken aback. “But you have to! You’re the only person who can save everyone!”

Veronica let out a sigh. “Look, Tikki, was it? Just find someone else.”

Tikki shook her head. “No! There’s no time! You _ have _ to do this!”

The sound of police sirens filled the air. Red and blue lights filled the alleyway as a few police cars and firetrucks rushed by, headed in the direction Veronica had come.

Tikki landed on Veronica’s lap, looking up at her with desperation in her large, blue eyes. “They’re going to get hurt if they try to take on a supervillain on their own. Only the Ladybug can stop an Akuma!” she begged. “_Please!_”

Veronica looked away, running a hand through her bangs. Her mind went to Betty. She would probably be better for this. Unlike her, Betty actually had some faith left in humanity. Veronica gasped, a horrible realization dawning upon her. Oh god, Betty! Veronica looked in the direction of Westerburg. She was still at the school, wasn’t she?

Veronica looked back down at Tikki. “I’ll do it,” she said.

Relief flooded Tikki’s gaze.

“Just this once, though,” Veronica added.

She picked up one of the earrings. The red and black pattern faded away, leaving behind a plain, black stud. She pinned her hair behind one ear and felt the lobe for the small hole. She had gotten her ears pierced for her tenth birthday, and barely done anything with them since. Veronica took a deep breath and shoved the small point through her ear. “_Fuck!_” she shouted.

Tikki stared at her in shock, wondering if this was such a good idea after all.

Veronica stuck the other earring through her ear, hissing in pain. She looked down at the small droplets of blood on her fingertips. “If I get an infection from this, I’m blaming you,” she grumbled.

Tikki floated up to her. “Okay, the powers I can grant you are ‘Lucky Charm’ and ‘Miraculous Ladybug’,” she explained. “Lucky Charm will summon an object that can help you defeat the akuma, and Miraculous Ladybug will fix all the damage the akuma caused. You have five minutes before you transform back after you use Lucky Charm. To defeat the akuma, you have to break the object that it infected and purify it with the yoyo. To transform, you say ‘spots on’, and to change back, say ‘spots off’.”

Veronica nodded. “Got it.”

Tikki nodded back. “Are you ready?”

Veronica let out a small snort. “As I’ll ever be.”

She then took a deep breath and said, “Spots on.”

Veronica let out a small gasp as her body was enveloped in a bright, pink light. She watched in awe as her clothes were replaced by a black suit and red jacket. A red and black yoyo appeared around her waist. Her body felt lighter, faster. She reached up and touched her face. A mask had appeared around her eyes. “Holy shit,” she breathed, spinning around to get a good look at herself. “Damn, Tikki, you really weren’t lying about the superhero thing!”

No answer.

Veronica looked around. “Tikki?”

The little, red Kwami was gone. Veronica sighed, “Looks like you’re on your own for this one.”

She undid the yoyo from around her waist and gave it a practice swing. It flew up into the air, wrapping around a nearby lamppost. Veronica gave it a tug, attempting to free it. Instead, she found herself being launched into the air as the yoyo began reeling itself in. Her surprised shouts echoed through the town as she soared through the air, heading in the general direction of the school.

◊ ◊ ◊

Heather crouched in the corner of a darkened classroom. She held her breath as a shadow paused in front of the door. Their head turned and looked into the room. Heather did her best not to move as their eyes passed over her. A few crystals began spreading into the room from underneath the door. Her heart was pounding so hard, she thought it might burst out of her chest. After what felt like an eternity, the shadow finally moved away.

She waited a few minutes before crawling out of her hiding place behind the desks. She slowly got up, just enough to peer over the windowsill. She examined the distance between the classroom and the ground, before dropping back to the floor. She debated whether or not to open the window and make the jump. She would have to fall at least one story.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the window suddenly shattered and a blur of red and black crashed into the room. It landed on Heather, knocking her to the floor, before rolling off, groaning in pain. “Fuck!”

It was a girl in a red and black…costume? The suit itself was mostly black, but she wore a red jacket with black spots on top. There was some sort of armor, or shell, on her back that resembled a ladybug’s elytra. She wore black gloves that covered the entirety of her forearms. Her dark hair faded to a pale red ombré at the ends. Some of it was tied back into a half-ponytail with a red ribbon. She brushed some of her hair aside, revealing a red domino mask with black spots. Her eyes, however, were the most surprising thing of all. They were pure white, with no visible pupils or irises of any kind.

The girl picked up what looked like a yoyo on the ground beside her. “Why didn’t you warn me?” she grumbled, looking down at it.

“Hey!” Heather called. “Ladybug!”

The girl over to see her glaring at her. “What the hell are you doing?” Heather hissed. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

The girl muttered something under her breath. She got to her feet, wrapping the yoyo around her waist. Something red dripped off the side of her head and landed on the floor. The girl reached up and touched a gloved hand to her ear.

“You’re bleeding,” Heather said.

“I’m aware,” the girl replied.

The girl took a deep breath, steeling herself for the ensuing conversation. “This is going to sound like a stupid question, but have you seen…someone, like, in a costume around here?”

“Yes,” Heather said. “I’ve seen you.”

The girl gave her a disgruntled look. “Other than me,” she huffed.

“There’s also that Crystal Bitch wandering the halls,” Heather added.

“Great, thanks.”

The girl began walking toward the door.

Heather jumped up in surprise. “Wait, wait,” she said. “You’re not _ actually _ going out there, are you?”

“Yep.”

“What are you, some kind of superhero?”

The girl turned to look at Heather. She gave a wry smile. “Apparently.”

With that, she pulled open the door, breaking it free from the crystals that had grown underneath it, and disappeared.

◊ ◊ ◊

Veronica walked out of the classroom and gasped at the sight that greeted her. Crystals had spread throughout the hall, covering every surface. She tentatively placed a foot on the crystal-covered floor. She found it cracked a little if she put enough weight on it. Feeling a little more confident, she stepped fully out of the classroom. The treads of her boots seemed to be covered in a natural adhesive, or perhaps it was just magic, as they did not slip around on the smooth surface like she expected.

As she headed down the hall, she spotted a few uneven lumps of crystal, humanoid in shape. There was one in particular that caught her eye. “Betty?” she gasped, moving over to it.

She reached out and touched its face, running her fingers along a lump of crystal that marked where her glasses were. “I’ll save you,” she murmured, giving one last glance at her petrified best friend.

As she continued down the hall, she heard hear the sound of voices coming from around the corner. Veronica snuck toward it, pressing her back against the wall and peering down the adjacent hallway.

A girl dressed in a long, white gown, studded with crystals, stood a few feet away, clutching Heather Duke by the arm.

_ That must be the supervillain, _ Veronica thought, removing her yoyo from her waist.

“Where is she?” the villainess snarled.

“I don’t know!” Duke cried.

Crystal Bitch held her hand up to Duke’s face. It glowed with white energy as she prepared to add her to her statue collection. Duke closed her eyes, shaking with fear. Just as she fired, a red and black yoyo smacked into her face. The energy fizzled out and she dropped Duke, bringing her hands up to her eye.

Veronica cringed. Not exactly what she had been going for, but it worked.

She swung her yoyo out once again. It wrapped around Duke’s waist and yanked her down the hall. Duke let out a surprised shout as she slid across the floor, eventually coming to stop at Veronica’s feet.

Veronica quickly scooped her up and ran down the hall with Duke in tow. She shoved her into the classroom with Heather Chandler. “Wait here.”

Veronica pulled the door shut and turned to face the enraged villainess at the other end of the hall. She rapidly spun her yoyo around in a circle next to her, readying an attack.

A purple outline of a butterfly had appeared around the villainess’s face. Her lips were moving, and she wore a frustrated expression, as though she was arguing with someone. Suddenly, she doubled over in pain. “Yes! Yes, I understand,” she choked out.

The villainess straightened back up, the butterfly outline fading away. She raised a hand. It glowed with white light as several crystal spikes emerged from the wall behind her. “Give me your ‘Miraculous’, little bug,” she demanded.

“Fuck no, Crystal Bitch,” Veronica replied.

The villainess narrowed her eyes. “My name is Crystal _ Queen!_”

The crystals launched at Veronica. Her arm jerked forward so she was swinging the yoyo in front of her. The crystal spikes shattered apart when they hit her impromptu shield.

“_Thanks, Tikki,_” Veronica murmured, dodging another wave of crystal spikes.

The villainess clenched her fist. The blade on the back of her hand lengthened and a shield formed on her other arm. She rushed toward Veronica, ready to strike. Veronica threw out her yoyo, but the villainess blocked it with her shield. She jabbed at Veronica with her blade.

Veronica leaped away, swinging her yoyo around Crystal Queen’s sword arm. She yanked her forward, upsetting her balance. She kicked at the shield. It broke apart as soon as her boot collided with it. A few cracks appeared in Crystal Queen’s arm, as well. “Not very durable, are you?” Veronica laughed, throwing another punch.

Crystal Queen’s foot swept under Veronica, knocking her off her feet. The yoyo flew away, skidding across the floor. Veronica hit the floor. A beam of white light struck her in the arm. Crystals encased her arm, pinning her to the floor. They began to spread up her arm, but at a much slower rate than it had for other students Crystal Queen had frozen.

Veronica struggled to free herself as Crystal Queen pushed some of her hair aside, reaching for her earrings. Suddenly, she recoiled in disgust. “Is that blood?” she said.

Veronica ripped her arm free. “Yes!” she shouted, swinging her fist at Crystal Queen’s face.

Veronica hopped back up, brushing remaining crystal bits off her arm. She grabbed her fallen yoyo and dashed down the hall, putting as much distance between herself and Crystal Queen as she could. She swerved around a corner and sat down next to the wall, panting.

_ God, what do I do? _

She looked down at her yoyo. “Maybe it’s time to use that ‘Lucky Charm’,” she murmured.

Her yoyo lit up with a bright, pink light and a mirror dropped into her hand. Veronica stared at it, dumbfounded. “What the fuck is this?”

She looked it over. Other than the ladybug pattern, it was just an ordinary mirror.

“You _ bitch!_”

Crystal Queen charged around the corner, fury in her eyes. She held out her hand, preparing to fire an energy blast. Veronica braced herself, shielding her face with her arms. The beam of light bounced off the mirror in her hand and flew right back at Crystal Queen. The beam struck her in the chest. Crystals immediately grew over her chest and spread over her body, freezing her in place.

Veronica stared up at her. She glanced back down at the mirror. “Huh,” was all she could say.

A cracking sound brought her attention back to the frozen villain in front of her. Crystal Queen was already beginning to break free. Veronica jumped up, frantically searching her enemy for akuma-infected object. She cursed. How was she supposed to know what it was?

_ Unless… _

The crown on top of Crystal Queen’s head caught her eye. She reached up and broke it free from the crystal cocoon. She turned it over in her hands. This _ had _ to be it.

She raised it above her head and threw it to the floor. It shattered into thousands of pieces, crystal fragments flying across the floor. A black butterfly emerged from the remains of the crown and flapped away as fast as its little wings could carry it.

Veronica looked down at her yoyo. “Okay, how do I do this?” she muttered.

She felt all over the yoyo, looking for _ something _ that would help her capture the akuma. Her finger finally found a seam on the cover of the yoyo. She slid her finger along it. The cover popped open, revealing an interior glowing with white light. That had to be it.

She swung her yoyo around, before sending it out toward the butterfly. The yoyo snatched it up. The cover snapped shut, sealing it inside. Veronica let out a huge sigh of relief.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Crystal Queen become enveloped in a dark energy. Veronica readied her yoyo once again in case she needed to fight. The energy cleared almost as fast as it had appeared, revealing the girl that Veronica had watched storm away at lunch.

Veronica turned to leave, but paused for a moment. Wasn’t there one more thing she was supposed to do? “Oh right,” she said. “Miraculous…Ladybug?”

The mirror in her hand burst apart into a swarm of tiny ladybugs. They swept through the hall, the crystals disappearing as they passed by. The crystal statues broke apart, revealing the people underneath. They looked around in shock, murmurs beginning to spread through the hall. Veronica gave a small sigh of relief when she saw an unfrozen Betty emerge from around the corner, blinking in confusion.

She heard a high-pitched beep sound from right next to her ear. That must have been here cue to leave.

As she turned to slip away, she heard a voice call out from behind her, “Hey! Ladybug!”

Heather Chandler stood in the hallway, arms crossed. Heather Duke stood next to her, rubbing at her wrists. “Who are you?” Heather asked, walking closer.

Veronica opened her mouth to answer, but thought better of it. No point in making a name for herself when this was just a one-time thing.

She ran down the hall, ignoring Heather’s shouts coming from behind her. She ran all the way up to the roof and threw her yoyo toward a telephone pole. Veronica leaped off the roof, swinging away into the town. She did not stop until she landed in the same alleyway she had first escaped to.

The beeping noise had only grown louder, until finally, she was surrounded by a bright flash of light. The costume vanished and Tikki reappeared in front of her. Veronica reached out her hands to catch the small creature.

Tikki looked up at her, a proud smile on her face. “You did it!” she exclaimed.

“Are you alright?” Veronica asked, noticing she seemed a bit weaker than before.

Tikki nodded. “Yes, I’m alright. I just need to rest a bit.”

Her eyes slowly closed, and she fell back, unconscious in Veronica’s hands. Veronica carefully slipped her into her pocket and made her way back to the school.

◊ ◊ ◊

“I can’t believe they didn’t give us the rest of the day off!”

The Heathers walked out the front doors of the school. McNamara groaned, “We were attacked by a goddamn supervillain and they’re just brushing it off like nothing happened!”

Heather snorted, “Please, Heather, it was just Courtney.”

McNamara locked eyes with her. “Just Courtney? _ Just Courtney? _ She turned me into a fucking statue!”

“And took me hostage,” Duke added.

“Like that’s worse than being turned into crystal?”

Heather rolled her eyes as Duke and McNamara bickered. Her mind drifted back to the ladybug girl. _ Rude bitch, _ she thought. The girl had barely even acknowledged her. She did not even seem to care about her role as a _ fucking superhero. _

“Do you think we’ll be seeing that ladybug girl anytime soon?” McNamara’s question cut through Heather’s train of thought.

“That depends on what you think the odds are on someone else suddenly getting superpowers,” she replied.

She let out a sigh. “God, I need a break. What do you say we head to the mall and max out a few credit cards?”

“Sure, why not?” McNamara replied.

“I could use some new shoes…” Duke said, thoughtfully.

“Great, I’ll drive Heather,” Heather said.

They split up, Duke heading to her Jeep, and Heather heading over to her own car. As she opened the door, she noticed something in the corner of her eye sitting in a gutter nearby. She found herself walking over and picking it up. It was a small, hexagonal box.

“Heather?” McNamara called to her. “Whatcha’ got there?”

Heather shoved the box into her pocket. “It’s nothing,” she said, climbing into the car and starting up the engine.

_ Nothing at all. _

◊ ◊ ◊

Tikki gazed out the window from her perch on Veronica’s desk. Moonlight shone through the window, casting long shadows all over the room. It felt like forever since she had been outside the Miraculous. How long had it even been?

Tikki looked over at Veronica. The girl had simply passed out, still wearing her clothes for that day, as soon as her head hit the pillow. Tikki snuggled into her own little nest of blankets Veronica had set up for her. She had to admit, she did have some concern about Veronica. It had been a long time since she had been paired with someone so young. Her mind went back to poor Jeanne. She had been about Veronica’s age when they first met, maybe even a bit younger.

She closed her eyes, attempting to push the painful memories from her mind.

Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. A faint buzzing sensation had come over her. It was a feeling she had felt many times before.

_ Could it be? _

Tikki floated up to the window, looking out at the darkened street.

“Plagg?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Questions? Theories?
> 
> Comment below, or go to my Tumblr [@nightimeisthewritetime](https://nightimeisthewritetime.tumblr.com/).


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